Have you ever wanted something really bad? So bad you could taste it? I remember trying out for Cheerleading for the 8th grade and waiting for the call to see if I made the squad….and I didn’t. Then trying out for 9th grade and not making it. Then trying out for 10th grade….and finally – I made the squad. Each year when I tried out and didn’t make it, I got so discouraged and then determined to keep practicing and keep trying out in hope that I would eventually make it. It took 3 years, but it finally happened. Waiting is no fun…

I remember growing up and going to Geauga Lake (an amusement park) every summer with my family. They had a ride there called the Double Loop. And…that’s what it did. It looped upside down twice. When I was little, that ride was so daunting. It seemed so HUGE! I was actually scared of it…afraid to ride it. But the bigger I grew the less daunting the ride seemed until it wasn’t scary at all. In fact, I would ride it countless times each time we went. The ride never changed. It didn’t shrink every year. It stayed exactly the same. It was my perspective of it that changed….

We have a rule here in our house. The kids are not allowed to have their electronics in their room at bedtime. They can read at night, but they aren’t allowed to play their games. And they’re pretty good about it. One night, I heard Mookie come into the kitchen about 15 minutes after bedtime. I got up to see what he was doing, and he was setting his DS on the counter. When I asked him about it, he said, “Mom, it’s too tempting. I just want to play it, so I had to get it out of my room.” What a smart kid!

Okay. I have a confession to make. And I hope it helps you the way it has helped me today. My confession is….I can be a bit of a control freak. (And my husband said a huge AMEN!) I had never really realized it until a few years ago, and believe me, I’ve really endeavored to change. And I think I’ve made great strides in changing…but sometimes, I see it pop it’s ugly little head back up.